Khârg
The khârg are a short, rotund race that commonly inhabit underground cities built into mountains. Unlike the majority of other races, the khârg belong to the Cthori ''races, a group of races made by the god Cthor. Most of the other races evolved from the valiö, who were made by Lokve. They are an ancient race, older than even the valiö. They are renowned for their expert skills in smithing. By the ael'ùvah, they are known as the ''dimùné, ''the dimunitive. They are called ''keros by the ael'nonùvah. The hardeteels call them khergem, ''from which the word khârg is derived. Etymology Khârg is what the khârg call themselves. It comes from ''khergem, which is what the hardeteels called them. The hardeteels were the first to teach the khârg language so their languages are related to Fjorrian. ''Khergem ''means little. It comes from valiän ''cérdhemn. ''It is from ''cérdhemn ''that ael'ùvahian gets ''themn, ''which evolved into Erius ''thin. '' Biology The khârg are a very small race. Standing at an average height of between 3' and 4' 6", they are smaller than all other races. Despite their small stature, they are quite heavy, with an average weight of 16st. They are hairy creatures. Their hair colour is generally black, red or blond. It is rare that a dwarf will have white or grey hair. Even the oldest dwarves usually keep their bold hair colour until their death. Their eyes are commonly green, brown or blue, although grey eyes are not uncommon. Due to time spent under the ground, they commonly have pale skin. They are very strong and naturally muscular. They have no magical ability as they were not made by Lokve. However, they have a resistance to magic and their bodies are unaffected by simple spells. For this same reason, they can rarely be manipulated. History Early History The khârg were created by Cthor and a group of other races before Lokve created his valiö. When Cthor created the khârg, they were lifeless. He poured his own spirit into the khârg and gave them life. They awoke and found themselves outside the Khâmolian Mountains. They grew fearful of the sun's glare and burrowed into the mountain, founding a city. A few hundred years after this, the khârg were discovered by the valiö. Both races traded and prospered. Some of the rich and most influential khârg, commonly known as dwarves by the erius, were able to afford sending their children to be taught by the valiö and learn their language, though it was hard to understand and could not be retold to the other khârg. The Dissolution of the Valiän Empire The Valiän Empire continued to grow and grow and the dwarves soon became a client race of this empire. With the khârg as allies, the empire grew stronger and richer. However, it soon became oppresive to its people, especially those in the north and the west. Thoughts of rebellion fermented in the khârg and some of the provinces of the empire. The khârg originally remained neutral. They dealt with both sides of the war, however, officially they were on the side of the empire. Gradually, the empire increased taxes. The khârg soon had a tax disparity with the other provinces and were forced to pay more. Also, the slaughters and executions perpetrated against the rebels by the Valiän Empire shocked many of the khârg. The khârg were eventually brought into the war on the side of the rebels. The valiö of the empire were quick to besiege the city of Khâmol-Sûltra, the dwarven capital. The dwarves were fierce defenders of their homes and killed many of their attackers. The siege lasted for two centuries and the khârg were eventually victorious. The dwarven armies greatly helped the rebellion and managed to erect great walls to defend the borders of the rebels' territory. The dwarves were mostly unaffected by Lokve's Anger, but they lost much trade when the Valiän Empire ceased to exist in its former influence. The khârg gained independence after the dissolution of the empire but remained allied to the provinces that had formed the rebellion. The Awakening of the Mequë When the mequë awoke, the dwarves were slow to act. They retreated to their mountain cities. They pursued a policy of isolation and closed the doors to their homes. They remained like this for three centuries before the gates of Khâmol-Sûltra swung open and a host of dwarves, commanded by the great warrior Kthorikhri, marched from the city to make war with the orks. Kthorikhri marched his soldiers for weeks from the Khâmolian Mountains to the orkish fortress of Mirandûr, which was being besieged by the forces of the valiö. The valiö lost the siege and fled but it is said that the presence of the dwarven army was enough to make the routing valiö turn back and fight. The army defeated the orkish army and managed to halt the advance of the mequë and their goblin and troll allies into the rest of Eusiac, though it did not manage to destroy Mirandûr. Despite the greatness of the khârg, they could only stop the enemy from advancing and could not break through the line of fortifications that the mequë possessed. The most they could do was hold the line until help arrived in the form of Lokve. Lokve defeated Norkel, who commanded the mequë, and forced the orks to retreat. The khârg fell back to their cities in fright and did not venture out for thousands of years. The Fracturing of the Cities About ten thousand years after the defeat of Norkel at the hands of Lokve, the khârg came out of their mountains once more. They found no trace of the valiö and saw only ruins of their once-great cities. The khârg stripped many of the ruins away, using the resources to build new cities. One such city was Khâ. Khâ was one of the greatest khârgi cities. Its construction was overseen by King Kthor XXI. On its completion, the king awarded the city to his eldest son, who would become King Kthori IX. It soon became a custom to hand the governance of the city to the eldest son of the king. Some time after the reign of King Kthori IX, the city passed onto the younger brother of King Kthor XXV, Kthorir the Upstart. Kthorir governed the city well but grew resentful of the fact that he still had to pay homage to his brother in Khâmol-Sûltra. When the king was visiting the city, Kthorir slew him and tossed his body in the Tchrir Chasm, where the corpse was swallowed by the earth. Kthorir proclaimed himself the first King of Khâ. King Kthor XXVI, the son of the deceased King of the Khârg, declared war on Kthorir. He sent a great army to attack Khâ but the army was defeated by Kthorir's. Kthorir was power-hungry and deluded and attacked the city of Khâmol-Sûltra on his own, leaving his army at a camp a few miles from the city. He was dragged back to the camp where he later died of his wounds. His son, King of Khâ Krethûr I, recalled the army and asked for a ceasefire. He was forced to pay huge sums of money to end a war that many of his generals said they could win. He became an unpopular ruler and was ousted by his citizens. He fled the city and later died. His son, King of Khâ Kthorir II succeeded him. The War of the Great Gem Exactly one thousand years after the death of King Kthor XXV, a great jewel arose from the Tchrir Chasm. It was worshipped by the citizens of Khâ and a huge crown was made to house the gem, which was said to have been larger than any dwarf. The jewel was actually the crystalised remains of King Kthor XXV. The king of Khâmol-Sûtra King Kthorikh I, heard tale of this gem and demanded it from King of Khâ Kthrothrokh I. Kthrothrokh laughed at this demand and recruit one thousand soldiers to guard the crown. King Kthorikh assembled the largest army seen since the time of Kthorikhri and besieged Khâ. The siege raged for one hundred and fifty years. The Great Gate of Khâ was eventually broken and the Host of Kthorikh sallied forth into the city. They battled with the defenders and made their way to the crown. The bodyguards fought fanatically but were eventually slain. Kthrothrokh went into a berserker rage and fought with Kthorikh. While the two kings fought, the son of Kthrothrokh pushed the crown into Tchrir Chasm, where it was eaten by Cerceres. The two kings were released from their craze and were horrified by their actions. The Hardeteels and a second war with the Mequë About five thousand years after the War of the Great Gem, the hardeteels were discovered by the khârg. The khârg were fascinated by the hardeteels. They found them to be similar to themselves, even if they were taller. Both races immediately took a liking to each other. The hardeteels taught the khârg their language so that they could converse with each other. The khârg found this language easier to learn than the valiän language and corrupted it for their own use. In return, the khârg taught the hardeteels some of their smithing skills, skills that they guarded fiercely. When the hardeteels were assailed by the great orkish armies of the west, the khârg were quick to assist. They did not bother with isolation and swiftly assembled their armies to defend their allies. In their haste, the khârg were ill-prepared to fight such a great horde. The khârgi warriors, though strong, were not as fierce as those at the time of Kthorikhri and many were slain in battle. When the mequë marched through Fjorr, the khârg were unable to assist the hardeteels as the mequë were besieging their cities. When Ajjergoff was destroyed and the news of its destruction reached the khârg, the dwarves were dismayed and lost hope. The orks destroyed the Great Gate of Khâ and plundered the city. Only the rogue adventurer Karthemrokh was able to defeat the orks by killing their leader Raartùkr. When Ajjergoff was rebuilt, the khârg had recovered from their losses and were ready to help push the mequë back to Miraleeth. Personality Culture and Religion Khârg Khârg